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Stockholm police authorize another request to burn sacred books

A 30-year-old man claimed that the act would be "a symbolic gathering in the name of freedom of expression"

STOCKHOLM, July 14. /TASS/. The Stockholm police have authorized a request to burn the Torah and the Bible in front of the Israeli embassy on Saturday, the Swedish Radio reported on Friday.

The request was filed by a 30-year-old man who claimed that it would be a response to the recent burning of the Quran in front of a Stockholm mosque and "a symbolic gathering in the name of freedom of expression."

The burning of the Quran took place during a police-authorized demonstration in downtown Stockholm on June 28. Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant, tore pages from the Quran and set it on fire. On that day, Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s major religious holidays. The Swedish Foreign Ministry said later that the country’s government condemned the "Islamophobic acts" committed by individuals, which in no way reflected the views of the Swedish authorities.

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